Professor Emmanuel Femi Gbenga Ajayi has on Wednesday September 9, 2020, forgiven the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for “spearheading his arrest, detention, humiliation and damage done to his reputation”. The Professor had been cleared by the ACC of allegations that his academic qualifications had been faked.
When recounting his ordeal in a press conference at SLAJ Campbell office in Street Freetown, Professor Ajayi explained that he was invited in an interview scheduled for 18th July at 1:00 a.m. by the ACC over anonymous allegations of forged results and impersonation.
He said that on the day of the interview all sorts of questions were thrown at him by six officials, while his results were thoroughly examined, adding that before his previous appointment his publications and copies of all his resulted were deposited.
He added that, the interview turned stressful and at about 4: 30 p.m. he had thoroughly fagged out and asked whether he could be allowed to go home, but, “I was rudely told that I cannot until I meet with the ACC commissioner. I was taken to his office tersely; he told me that I was under arrest. ACC threw me into a police cell like a common criminal. I nearly fainted when the gates of CID HQs closed behind me.”
He further explained that on the 18th of July, the two certificates which were originally queried, arrived from Nigeria, proving that he indeed earned them genuinely, but ACC was unconvinced about the authenticity of the results, thus prompting them (ACC) to dispatch officials to Nigeria, who visited the six academic institutions from where he had obtained seven of his certificates, and they were personally confirmed by the ACC officials, as genuine. He noted that, ACC officials came back from Nigeria in October 2019 and another round of investigations commenced.
He said, “the way ACC handled my case was unfair. I nearly went mad. I lost appetite, no answer to nature properly nor sleep. No expression could possibly encapsulate what I went through, 231 days’of humiliation, arrest, and detention. If I were a Sierra Leonean, would they have done that? And upon all the reputational damages done to me, there is no remorse and apology.”
“ACC should not have investigated those spurious allegations, better still they should have done it underground and if found guilty then the Press could have been invited, but my case went viral, all known medium of communication, to wit, Radio, TV and other social media. I was able to survive the trauma by the special grace of God and other people who stood by me. People like the Nigerian Ambassador, the human right group Native Consortium and some Sierra Leonean humanitarians. My profound gratitude also goes to Prof. Mallam O. Sankoh the current Ag. Vice Counselor Njala University for his intervention and support and all my colleagues lecturers and students who in diverse ways empathized with me. I have sincerely forgiven all the injustices meted to me, Am no longer bitter,” he said.
The director of the Anti-Corruption Commission said that, they got information on allegations that constitute an offence and that, they have the mandate to investigate instances of alleged or suspected corruption that are committed. He said, “ACC, we remain independent and we cannot be subject to anybody.”
By Ibrahim S. Bangura
21/09/2020. ISSUE NO: 7923